Foundadtion Partnership Specialist

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization dedicated exclusively to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters. When Best Friends began in 1984, some 17 million animals died every year in America's shelters, simply for not having homes. Today, that number is down to about 733,000. That's incredible progress, but it also means that more than 2,000 dogs and cats are still losing their lives every day. For more than 30 years, Best Friends has been running the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals and building programs all across the country that reduce the number of animals entering shelters and increase the number who find homes.

Headquartered in Kanab, Utah, Best Friends Animal Society is a $100 million organization with more than 800 staff located throughout the country.

Best Friends was top-rated in 2017 by Great Non-Profits and a GuideStar Platinum participant, and was named 2019 Animal Welfare Brand of the Year by Harris Poll EquiTrend.

Position Summary:

The Foundation Partnerships Specialist will work with, and under the supervision of, the Foundation Partnerships Manager to help the team achieve a team revenue goal of $6M each year. Primary responsibilities include assisting with all aspects of foundation grant giving and management. Specifically, the Development Officer will be responsible for prospect research, relationship cultivation, proposal development and submission, grant tracking, and stewardship and reporting activities to foundations, and other grant-making organizations. Must be able to persuasively communicate Best Friends Animal Society's mission and programs to potential funders.

Essential Duties / Responsibilities:

• Research and cultivate relationship with current and potential funders
• Develop and manage a portfolio of foundation prospects and programmatic grants
• Write grant proposals and reports for foundations.
• Prepare letters of inquiry, formal proposals, stewardship documents, and reports.
• Support other areas of the Corporate Foundations Relations (CFR) team as necessary
• Enter data into the constituent relationship management database to track activity with prospects and donors
• Work with program staff to gather information on funding needs and compile documents and budgets for grant requests
• Work with program staff, program coordinators, and the finance office to track grants and prepare reports back to funders
• Complete regular stewardship activities for foundation partners
• Maintain a calendar of submissions and other deadlines
• Other duties as needed

Skills / Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree and 2 to 3 years of experience in grant writing and relationship development with foundations
• Minimum of two years of demonstrated success in non-profit fundraising, preferably with proven success in cultivating relationships with foundations.
• Must possess superior written skills including the ability to edit for quality, congruity, and style.
• Ability to work independently with minimal oversight and thrive under pressure and on deadline
• Must have excellent attention to detail and ability to quickly complete projects
• Ability to assimilate information about programs from a variety of sources in order to make documents persuasive to potential funders
• Commitment to team collaboration and communication
• Computer skills and knowledge of fundraising computer programs
• Ability to professionally and effectively communicate Best Friends' mission, vision, and programmatic scope.
• Valid Driver's License with access to transportation to travel on organization business

Physical Requirements:

• Work for extended period of time at a computer with repetitive typing, arm, and hand motion
• Ability to travel to meet with prospects and donors and attend meetings at the Sanctuary in Utah as required (travel about 4x per year)
• Travel via various forms of public transportation on behalf of organization business.

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career at Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, domestic partner status, or medical condition.